Heaven Shall Burn

Veto

Written by: MN on 01/08/2013 14:48:27

Heaven Shall Burn has always astounded me by their seamless production level and by the unbeatable crunch to their sound, and things have not changed for the German heavyweights, their sound has just gotten better. Their socio-politically motivated metal sheds light upon various aspects of human tragedy and triumph, and through six consistent records, they are now legitimate and seasoned spokespeople against social-injustices and racism. "Veto", as their latest album is entitled, is one for the ages, a stupendous effort where it took me the better part of a week before having listened to the entire album throughout. Frankly, the reason for this is that I just had to repeat the opening four tracks endlessly. This record won me over faster than a cocaine-induced drive in a polished Ferarri.

The first track "Godiva" unleashes hell and reawakes the legend of the Coventry noblewoman who rode naked through the streets of 11th Century Britain, in protest of her own husbands oppressive taxation of the common-folk. "Godiva" is incredibly powerful. The vocals of Marcus Bischoff ring in the pummeling double-pedals with a painstaking scream, the guitar interplay and the chorus are as memorable as the "Iconoclast"-era with songs like "Black Tears" being easily as powerful. Following, the song "Land Of The Upright Ones" is brutal as hell but still retains a classic metal aspect to it, the lyrics captivate the band's determination to remain socially-conscious in their music and the track also contains some epic guitar work. "Die Stürme Rufen Dich" is a part German part English track with guest vocals from Rob Franssen and Dominik Stammen from the Dutch hardcore band Born From Pain.

One of the strongest tracks is "Hunters Will Be Hunted" which comes to no surprise to the listener, seeing as Heaven Shall Burn are supporters of Animal rights and vegan/vegetarian in lifestyle. "You Will Be Godless" is the most brutish track on the record and could easily be a grindcore track. It's fast and chaotic but still manages to morph itself into a eclectic blend of their different genre influences. It's always been a huge discussion of whether Heaven Shall Burn are metalcore, melodic death metal or deathcore but in the end, who cares what they are, when they sound this great? Another highlight on this record is the Blind Guardian cover "Valhalla" which brings some northern folk-mysticism to the sound, and legendary vocalist Hansi Kürsch of Blind Guardian provides fantastic guest vocals that compliment Marcus Bischoff heart-wrenching screams. Especially the final seconds of the track are particularly tasteful as clean vocals ring out the epic song: "Valhalla, Deliverance. Why've you ever forgotten me?".

Of course, as a music reviewer, I am obliged to not only appraise the works of the music I love, but also shed a critical perspective on it, and this is proving the most difficult part of reviewing "Veto", I really don't see any missteps in the record. Yet again, Heaven Shall Burn have etched their importance on the global metal scene with "Veto". Their sound is as hot as searing metal surfaces in the baking sunshine. Heaven Shall Burn cannot be stopped, and I hope they continue to bear the torch for some of the best metal we have today.

9

Download: Hunters Will Be Hunted, Godiva, Valhalla
For The Fans Of: Caliban, Killswitch Engage, Parkway Drive
Listen: facebook.com

Release Date 19.04.2013
Century Media Records

Related Items | How we score?
Comments
comments powered by Disqus

Legal

© Copyright MMXXIV Rockfreaks.net.